That can be argued either way, but one thing is clear: An analysis of Christie's travel schedule shows that the governor has spent nearly half of the year out of state.

Records show that Christie has been gone 64 of the first 139 days of 2015, meaning he's been away slightly more than 46 percent of the time in support of his possible 2016 bid.

It's a sharp increase in the governor's rate of out of state travel over 2014, when his work as chairman of the Republican Governors Association had him crisscrossing the nation for what then amounted to about a third of his second term in office. That cost New Jersey taxpayers more than $1 million for his security detail.

While a spokesman for the governor's office did not dispute the figures, he declined to comment on whether Christie would be spending even less time in New Jersey in the months to come. Christie has said he'll settle on his 2016 plans this month or next.

Any reluctance to forecast how much (or little) time Christie will spend governing New Jersey from New Jersey could come from the fact that when governors set about preparing for a White House run, their home states are usually seen from the rear-view mirror: In 2006, while setting the table for his ultimate 2008 presidential run, Gov. Mitt Romney spent more days outside Massachusetts than in it.

At a New Hampshire town hall on Monday, a woman asked Christie if if he would have handled the Balitmore riots differently. His answer was telling of just when a governor needs to be in-state.

"I'm a 'go' kind of guy," said Christie, referencing his own ubiquity on the devastated Jersey Shore after Hurricane Sandy before heaping praise on the recent actions of the Maryland governor he helped to elect while RGA chairman last fall.

Gov. Larry Hogan's decision to walk the streets of Baltimore shortly after the riots was admirable, Christie noted.

"I think when you're the leader, you have to be present," said Christie.